Federated Farmers Feedback on Nelson City Council's Draft Regional Policy Statement
The RPS is not just a policy document; it is also an overall narrative of the Nelson region, providing important context to the resource management decisions that happen both at the regional and sub-regional levels.
To be resilient and sustainable, our communities require more consistent and reliable employment. Poor quality regulation and high compliance costs can and do act as a brake on business growth, investment and job creation. It is crucial that through the RPS, the Council remains mindful of the impact of regulation on the economy – with good quality regulation ensuring economic growth is stimulated and not stifled; with an overall consistency in interpretation and implementation key to providing the certainty businesses need to operate with confidence.
We are concerned at the tone and content of the paragraph on ‘Rural areas’ at page 10. The Rural area is predominantly a working rural environment; it comprises primary production land that is both privately owned and maintained. It is not maintained and enhanced through regulation, but primarily based on landowner goodwill and through the private costs, time and resources of landowners and constructive engagement with other parties. The paragraph should be redrafted to reflect these concerns.